Homemade Pretzel Rolls Recipe

I love these pretzel rolls. They are great for hot dogs, bratwurst, ham and cheese sandwiches, hamburgers or any type of sandwich.  You can use this same dough to make regular soft pretzels as well.




Pretzel Rolls
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1 T sugar
2 t salt
2 ounces butter or margarine, melted
4 1/2 - 5 cups all purpose flour
pretzel salt (optional)

Egg wash =1 egg + 1 T water beaten well

Alkaline bath = 8 cups of water + 1/2 cup baking soda at a gentle simmer

Mix the water, yeast, sugar, salt, butter and 2 cups of flour together to form a wet batter.  Slowly incorporate the remaining flour a little bit at a time to form a sticky dough.  knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  This is a dense dough that will not spring back and will still be a bit sticky after kneading.  oil the dough ball with cooking oil and put the dough in a draft free warm place to rise until doubled.  Divide the dough into 100 gram dough balls (8-9 balls).  Shape into round or oblong rolls.

In a wide shallow sauce pan combine 8 cups of water and 1/2 cup baking soda.  Heat and bring to a gentle simmer.  One at a time dunk and submerge the rolls in the baking soda water for about 30 seconds.  Drain and transfer the rolls to a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silicone baking mat or grease the cookie sheet.  Cut superficial slashes in the top of the rolls.  Brush each roll with egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel salt if desired.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes until a rich mahogany brown all over.  Allow to cool slightly before slicing open.

Rumpled Ripple Rainbow Crochet Baby Afghan Pattern

After I finished my Rumpled Ripple Scarf I knew my next project would be to expand that pattern into an afghan size.  The pattern in essentially the same but for the afghan (and anything larger than a scarf) the foundation chain will need to be more repeats.

This pattern is so squishy and soft and I knew it would make a perfect baby blanket.  I chose an a rainbow of colors, making it as bright and colorful as possible.  This blanket is off to Sweden to the newest baby in our family.

This pattern uses US crochet terms.  I used a variety of acrylic worsted weight yarn. The colors I used
Red - Red Heart Soft Really Red
Orange - Red Heart Super Saver Pumpkin
Yellow- Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Radiant Yellow
Light Green - Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Radiant Lime
Dark Green - Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Kelley Green
Blue Red Heart Soft Teal
Purple - Stitch Studio by Nicole Story Book Lullaby Mulberry
The hook I used was size I.  This finished size of this blanket was about 38" square but your project may end up larger or smaller depending on your hook, yarn and tension.  It may be best to stitch of a swatch of several rows of 1-2 repeats then calculate how many repeats you want based on the finished size you are wanting.

Rumpled Ripples Rainbow Baby Afghan

Special Stitches

Cobble Pattern - alternating dc and sc (each segment of the cobble pattern will be 7 stitches long and start and end with double crochet)

Increase - sc, dc, sc all in the same st

Decrease (worked over 3 stitches)- insert hook into the st, yo, pull up a loop, skip the next st, insert hook into the next st, yo, pull up a loop, yo and pull through all three loops on the hook

Beginning of row decrease (worked over the first 2 stitches of each row starting with row 2)- insert hook into the st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and insert hook into the next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops, yo and pull through all three loops on the hook - This stitch counts as a dc

End of row decrease (worked over the last 2 stitches of each row starting with row 2) - yo and insert the hook into the st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops, insert the hook into the next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through all three loops on the hook- This stitch counts as a dc

Pattern

Video tutorial of this stitch pattern can be found HERE

Foundation chain: ch multiples of 18 -1 (17, 35, 53, 71 etc)  For this afghan I did 9 repeats and my foundation chain was 161.

Row 1: dc in 3rd ch from hook (counts as the first dc in the cobble pattern), *work the cobble pattern for a total of 7 stitches up the side of the front mountain.  Increase in the next ch, work the cobble for a total of 7 stitches down the back side of the mountain, decrease over the next 3 stitches, repeat from * across.  Do not work the final decrease at the very end, just end with the 7 stitches down the back side of the last mountain. Ch 1 turn.

Row 2: Work beginning of row decrease over the first 2 stitches (counts as the first dc of the cobble pattern), *work the cobble pattern for 7 stitches up the front side of the mountain, increase, work cobble pattern for 7 stitches down the back side of the mountain, decrease over the next 3 st, repeat from * across.  Do not work the final decrease, instead work the end of row decrease over the last 2 stitches (will count as the last dc in the cobble pattern), ch 1 turn.

Row 3 and onward: Repeat row 2 changing colors as you like until your project is as long as  you like.  For my project I did 3 rows of each color before changing to the next color.  For the best results from this pattern I recommend using as least 2 colors.

To change colors:  

I find I get the best results if I change colors by finishing the last stitch of the row with the new color.  For this pattern that will be the End of Row Decrease stitch.  Work the stitch as normal but just before the final "yarn over and pull through all three loops on the hook" drop the working yarn to the back, and holding the new color yarn from the back work the final "yarn over and pull through all three loops on the hook" in the new yarn.  The tails from this color change will need to be woven into the work with a yarn needle at the end.

This pattern and these photos are my own work.  Please link back to this blog post when sharing.  Thank you!

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Rainbow Swirl Bonnet
Sunshine and Rainbow Bonnet
Simple and Sweet Baby Afghan

5 Dairy Free Smoothie Recipes

A Vitamix found itself delivered to my front porch. I don't really know how or why, but it did. My loving husband (my sweet, kind, wonderful husband) ordered it without really telling me so it was a big surprise. Our stick blender died and our food processor was on it's last leg. Instead of buying another $100 blender or food processor that is just going to die on us in a couple years he went ahead and invested in a Vitamix.

 I saw the UPS truck pull up and I assumed my husband had ordered something from Amazon as he is fond of doing. But as the UPS driver emerged from his truck I saw that he was holding a large cardboard box with big bold letters spelling out "Vitamix". What a surprise! Initially I scoffed at the idea of spending so much on one kitchen appliance but I really do love it. I have been experimenting with it as much as possible. I've been making homemade almond milk, smoothies, pureed soups and sauces. I still have more I want to try, like peanut butter, hummus, and dairy free Nutella. I have collected 5 of my favorite smoothie recipes plus a bonuse vegetable juice. I love that I can make vegetable juice without a juicer in my Vitamix.





  Whole Fruit Smoothie - Orange, banana, blueberries and spinach

Mango and Coconut Smoothie - Mango, coconut cream, and coconut milk with a hint of lime

Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie - Strawberries, almond milk and vegan vanilla ice cream

Pina Colada Smoothie - Almond milk, coconut cream, pineapple and banana, garnish with shredded coconut

Shamrock Shake - Sweet creamy peppermint shake with a surprise ingredient

Edith's Baked Beans

Summer time is right around the corner and if you are looking for a new favorite recipe to take to cookouts and backyard parties, this just might be the thing you are looking for.  Everyone loves baked beans and these beans are so delicious and easy to put together.  Large meaty butter beans, bacon and kielbasa in a rich homemade sauce.  A great change from your usual baked beans made from small navy or great northern beans.

This recipe came from my grandmother's friend Edith.  I knew her when I was a small girl but my family has been enjoying this recipe since before I was born.  Try this recipe for a potluck or just with your family.  I know you will enjoy it :)

Ingredients:
3 (14 oz) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 pound bacon, sliced, fried and drained
1 large onion, large dice
1 green bell pepper, large dice
1 jalapeno seeded and finely diced
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes
3/4 cup ketchup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 lb keilbasa sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

Flats And Handwashing Challenge ~ Day 2 ~ Diaper Stash

Here is my diaper stash!  GMD large cotton birdseye flats, Thirsties Duo Wrap covers and Blueberry Coverall covers. :)

Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Day 1 - Why I Am Taking The Challenge

Today is the day.  The Flats and Handwashing Challenge starts today.

I really wanted to do this challenge last year but life was very overwhelming at the time.  I was a new mom with a 6 month old and although I was 6 months post partum I was still struggling to recover physically.  The idea of flats seems impossible.

The whole idea of cloth diapers seemed impossible when I first started learning about them.  When you are pregnant or preparing for a baby there are several topics that can overwhelm you but cloth diapers is one of the biggest.  Seriously, I was more worried about cloth diapers than I was about breastfeeding (and both ended up working out well for us, thank God!)  I had read so much and watched so many videos about cloth diapers and I never felt like I was making any headway, I still felt so confused and had no idea where to start.  I watched one video which broke everything down in the simplest terms.  I am grateful for that video because it really helped things start to fall into place in terms of understanding how to use cloth diapers but there was one single comment on that video that put me off flat diapers.  In the video the person was telling about all of the different types of cloth diapers.  Prefolds, pockets, all in ones and......flats, but nobody uses those.  I remember that off hand comment all the time as I am folding my flats, or whenever I tell someone I use flats and they tell me they use them (and love them) too.  Lots of people use flats and those who use them love them!

Now one year later, with one year more of mommy experience (but still feeling lost and overwhelmed a lot of the time) I am taking on this challenge.  I already use flats.  They are my primary diaper.  My Little One grew so fast and furious in the beginning that I had to size up her prefolds 3 times in the first 6 months.  I went online to buy toddler size (TODDLER SIZE!!) prefolds when I decided to give flats a try.  I ordered a couple and started using them.  I was able to get a perfect fit around her chunky thighs and I fell in love :)

I guess I am sort of cheating on this challenge.  I am all gung-ho and feeling confident but would I be if this was my first attempt at using flats?  I already use flats and I already hang to dry so the only challenging part of the challenge is the handwashing (which I admit, is a big part).

So what a difference a year makes.  Flats no longer seem so daunting, they seem like the easy part.

I think the challenge was meant to target people who never used cloth before, or had limited incomes.  Showing how accessible cloth diapers for someone with no experience and/or no budget for fancy fluff is an important message but when I was first starting with flats I ate up all the information about using flat diapers that was now available because of this challenge.  If not for this challenge I am afraid that the only information out there would be similar to the "nobody uses flats" message
I had heard.  I am grateful to the people who took this challenge before me, and who documented it.  I am taking the challenge this year because I want to add my perspective to the collection of other people who have documented their experience with the challenge.  I want there to be so much information out there that the "nobody uses flats" message is not as powerful to anyone else as it was for me.


******My cloth diaper favorites *******

I'm Taking the Flats and Handwashing Challenge!

Starting next Monday I will be participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  I will be documenting all throughout the week.  So be sure to stop by and hear me talk about poop and pee!  lol!